AI-Powered Tools for Circular Transition at Scale
2 July 2026 I 09:00 – 13:00
University Foundation (Room Félicien Cattier)
Rue d’Egmont 11, 1000 Brussels
Cities across Europe are under mounting pressure to accelerate their transition to a circular economy — but
many lack the tools, data, and capacity to move from policy commitment to practical implementation.
This event marks the culmination of the CircularPSP programme (grant agreement no. 101092208) and
introduces two AI-powered platforms — CircOS and CircularAI — developed specifically to address this gap.
Through platform demonstrations, firsthand city testimonials on working with AI in a public sector context, and
a structured roundtable, participants will explore what it means in practice to use AI to drive circular city strategy; hear directly from municipalities that have piloted the platforms; and discuss the policy, procurement, and funding pathways that will determine whether tools like these reach the scale Europe needs.
Programme
09:00 – 09:10 Welcome and opening remarks – Georg Vogt – CircularPSP Coordinator, Empirica
Framing the moment: where CircularPSP has arrived and why it matters, including what problem do the platforms developed solve. A brief, high-level overview of the AI policy context, what it means for public sector tools, and how it shapes the conversation today.
09:10 – 09:50 Platform showcase — CircOS & CircularAI – Kim Turk Mehes – CircOS Deployment Lead, VCG.AI GmbH, Vitória Fank Spohr – CircularAI
Each platform team presents: How they address the Circular transition challenges, including a presentation of their functionalities, how AI powers the platforms and what it enables, the value the platforms deliver to cities and other municipal actors. The AI dimension is present but practical — what AI enables for cities.
20 minutes per platform, including 5 min for Q&A.
09:50 – 10:20 City testimonials — two pilot use cases – Francisco Ferreira – City of Guimarães – Dina Padalkina – Circular Berlin
Two municipalities that piloted the platforms share their firsthand experience – what it means in practice to work with an AI platform in a public sector context — what changed in how cities, districts, other municipal actors, such as waste management companies work, the challenges and surprises, what they would tell another city considering using such platforms.
12 minutes per city + 6 min for Q&A.
10:20 – 10:30 Comfort break
10:30 – 10:45 EU Agenda for Cities supporting circular transformation – Pia Laurila – Team Leader – Cities, European Commission, DG REGIO – Unit Cities, Communities, People
How the EU Agenda for Cities aims to support cities as the critical actors in the circular economy transition, what the EU Agenda for Cities sees as the defining challenges and opportunities, how data and digital tools are changing what’s possible for cities, and a signal of EU ambition and support. Inspiring, forward-looking, policy-backed.
10:45 – 11:45 Routes to adoption — roundtable discussion
A facilitated discussion in three strands: based on their testing experience, what would it take for cities to embed these platforms permanently in how they work; how multiplier organisations can promote the platforms in their networks; and what EU funding instruments and enabling conditions would help cities adopt tools like these at scale.
Moderator: Draško Veselinovič – Director, Slovenian Business & Research Association (SBRA)
Strand 1 · Cities & public bodies:
Strand 1 · Cities & public bodies:
- Francisco Ferreira – City of Guimarães.
- Dina Padalkina – Circular Berlin.
Strand 2 · Multipliers:
- Representative (TBC) – ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability.
- Chiara Venturini – Eurocities.
Strand 3 · European Commission — DG REGIO:
- Pia Laurila – European Commission, DG REGIO.
11:45 – 12:00 What’s next and how to get involved
SBRA synthesises the key themes from the roundtable, then invites the platform teams and the CircularPSP Coordinator to respond directly to what was heard. SBRA then facilitates questions from the audience.
- Draško Veselinovič – Roundtable synthesis, SBRA.
- Kim Turk Mehes – CircOS— response & commitments.
- Vitória Fank Spohr – CircularAI — response & commitments.
- Draško Veselinovič – Questions from the audience, facilitated by SBRA.
12:00 – 12:10 Concluding remarks and next steps – Georg Vogt – CircularPSP Coordinator, Empirica
What the project has proven and what it opens up. Concrete next steps and specific asks per audience type: cities invited to express interest in post-project access; multipliers invited to explore partnership; a signal of continued engagement to Commission and DG REGIO.
12:10 Informal lunch and live platform demonstrations
CircOS and CircularAI demo stations running side by side. Meet the teams, see the platforms in action, and continue conversations from the roundtable.
Registration link: https://www.sbra.be/en/content/circular-cities-action